The Book of the Most Precious Substance

Sara Gran has the most demented imagination (and I mean that in all the best ways). I’m this one, she mixes magical realism, the occult, sex, and self sacrifice to create a mystery/thriller with an awesomely twisty end.

Sara Gran fans REJOICE!!! This book contains everything you expect from one of horror's rock star authors. Erotic, thrilling, and tense all the way through. There is nothing like THE BOOK OF THE MOST PRECIOUS SUBSTANCE on the shelves. Original concept and expertly crafted. Gran does what she wants on the page and we're all lucky enough to take the ride.

I had the best laugh about half way into this novel …
a laugh that only makes sense if you’ve read the first 50%.
“Would you say this is a common occurrence in the book world?” — asked by Detective Frank.
So…. let me explain — a lot of drama is generated around a rare book called “The Book of The Most Precious Substance”.

Lily and Lucas were book dealers (lovers too - but that’s a story within a story of itself)..
A colleague died. ( that’s also a story within a story),
but
Lily and Lucas were helping fill some of his orders — for the good of his family —
But then a ridiculously wealthy ‘Admiral Masters’ heard that Lily snd Lucas had a way of getting hold of the rare book…. willing to pull out all stops to F-over another buyer and sell it himself—steal it if given the chance.
The book is about war - power - and sex. ….
[sex magic:
the art of using sex to affect change in accordance with one’s will]…
a book about …..
“the most precise, and most effective, grimoire on sex magic ever written. It guides the reader through five steps, each corresponding to a different bodily fluid, and along with it, a specific symbol and a word”….
the book calls it “the nectar of the woman’….next is the life-giving seed of the man”.
“Only one man in a thousand will be able to draw it out of a woman, and only one woman in a thousand will allow it to be drawn”.
“When a women’s pleasure reaches a crescendo, there will be a wave like the ocean, violent and forceful, but sweet and delicious when it crashes”.
Ha…..
Don’t get too swaddled in juicy-naught thinking…
because…
don’t you want to know why a detective Frank even cares… and why he might be asking about a rare book?
Well… things get a little voodoo spooky in the land of Sara Gran’s grand creation.
Admiral Masters was murdered at approximately 4am…
and
…..the question is…..
did another ridiculously wealthy book buyer send someone to take out his competition?
…..and
….are there more stories within a story? That take turns the reader upside down and around - in other words a surprise twist?

Yep… all is-ha-‘business as normal’ in the book world 😉

This was pure page-turning fun from start to finish—a surprise offer (thank you Cai) with lots of entertaining surprises to boot.

I’m so tempted to share more about the plot (my first experience reading ‘sock-it-to-me’ *Sara Gran*….whom I found devilishly delightful)…
I’ve several pages of notes should anyone want more of me —
but instead — are you hungry?
How about dinner on 5th Ave. in New York?
(personally, I’m not much of a foodie- but if I were - I might be able to appreciate being dined and wined by two attractive men)…

Leo Singleton (let’s just say — one of several ridiculously wealthy men you’ll meet in Gran’s novel), took Lily and Lucas to a very posh restaurant with luxurious food and alcohol on 5th Avenue with exorbitant prices. (duck, rare lamb chops, mane mushrooms, sea bass crusted with fresh green herbs and hazelnuts, plenty of wine - getting a little drunk- pistachio ice cream, vanilla orange meringues and a plate of tiny white and dark chocolates in unusual flavors: violet, pecan, lemon blossom for dessert-adds a little Brandy to top off the three hour dinner/meeting.
It was the best dinner Lily had in years (with those two attractive men, I mentioned)…

But …. we get a lot more in this novel than just tasty-teasers…
If one ‘must’ indulge in a crime-thriller-novel-(for those of us who do not regularly read crime novels), this unique story about a sought-after rare book adds a new dimension to the words ‘crime’ and ‘book’ in the same sentence.

The characters were interesting— I liked hanging out with them (main and supporting)…
99% of the time I got a great kick out of the detailed descriptions—for ‘every’ major and minor character—for every house (be it a farmhouse in upstate New York, a clean-masculine-impressive apt. in Oakland - or a - ridiculously wealthy- mansion in D.C. or Paris.
But ….
my one tiny quibble —1% quibble…
I had thoughts about some of the descriptions beginning to feel repetitive (in styling) —
yet—
I at the same time, I enjoyed each of the descriptions for its own merit.
Here’s a sample creative-eye-catcher ‘character’ description:
“Elena was unattractively tall—there was nothing wrong with her height, which was about six-three, but she hunched her shoulders, which made her back look bent and put her face and neck at the worst possible angle—chin out, neck doubled, chest sagging. Her nose was big and matched by her forhead,
with cheekbones and chin lagging far behind. But there was much that was appealing about Elena nonetheless; a happiness that shone out from a deep dark point inside”.

And…
a ‘house’ description:
“The entryway to Toby Gunn’s house had twenty-foot-high ceilings and stone walls and marble floors. Tapestries that looked like they were from the 1500s hung from the walls, showing scenes of the unicorns and walled gardens, muffling the noise in the already too-quiet house. A chandelier that was as large as a car hung from the ceiling”.

FUN FUN FUN…
Lily has a sarcastic tone…
which we understand once we are privy to her past history.

The male characters are charismatic & tantalizing—but also puzzling debatable.
Lily - center of every man in this novel has a sarcastic tone which I grew to admire and understand.

It’s clear to me that Sara Gran (tell me that’s not a great name for a woman) knows who she -
she writes with chutzpah — with her shrewd sultry, imperfect characters….
giving us (both)compelling male and female characters…. and a darn gran story….(thrilling, erotic, tantalizing, and never predictable)…
THE BEST TWIST ENDING of the Year!!!

Gloriously entertaining!!

4.9 stars

Sara Gran has done it again. A smart sexy mystery with a book dealer as the main character. What's not to love.

I’m a bit obsessed with this book. Im writing a review to come in BookPage near the time of release.. But for now I’ll say it’s sexy and mysterious and cool, like nothing I’ve read before. And the main characters are book people, which is fun— a rare book dealer and a university archivist on a quest to broker a million dollar deal for an ancient and rare handwritten guide to “sex magic.” There are multiple definitions of “sex magic” in the book. This is my favorite: “the art of using sex to, as Crowley defined magic, affect change in accordance with one’s will.”
4.5 stars I think.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book. I really enjoyed it. It's fun, funny, and very sexy. It's equal parts seductive and heart breaking. I reccomend!

Books about rare and or magical books are the most entertaining books, I'm thinking of two of my favourites, Jen Banbury's Like a Hole in the Head or Scarlett Thomas' The End of Mr. Y. Now we have Sara Gran's The Book of the Most Precious Substance and it's a fantastic novel about rare books, booksellers, sex magic, loss, grief and about how the universe is never, ever fair.

I breezed through this book, Sara Gran is a fantastic writer, please pick up her Claire DeWitt series if you haven't already. Dreamland books is off to a great start, here's hoping they'll publish many more brilliant, fun, smart and sexy books like The Book of the Most Precious Substance.

As expected, I loved this book. Huge fan of Sara Gran’s previous book, Come Closer, and this one felt similar in quality but completely unique in every other way. I was so taken with the story from page 1, and I thought the character development and storyline were perfectly paced. Really dark and smokey, I loved that the book had an element of sensuality and sexiness to it. My only complaint is that I wanted more! I can’t wait for what’s next from this author.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley
#netgalley

A new to me author but I will definitely be buying some more from her!

The Book of the Precious Substance is "the rarest, most sought after book in the entire bibliography of the occult." "I never worked with other dealers. I never went chasing after ridiculous books. I never counted money before it was in hand...It was like the book already had me, and was leading me exactly where it wanted."

Published author Lily Albrecht was married to the love of her life, Abel. He had been "a highly renowned writer of academic theory, criticism and obscure histories..."."Once life had been fun and adventurous and full of surprises". A tragic diagnosis ensued. Now Abel was cared for by a Nigerian male nurse named Awe in a small house in upstate New York. Lily was forced to sell off many books to meet the cost of Abel's care. She reinvented herself as a rare book seller.

At an Antiquarian Book Fair, Lily was approached about partnering up to search for The Book of the Precious Substance. A potential buyer was willing to pay upward of six figures for an authenticated copy. "A million dollars and maybe, more enticing, something to do...Just a lonely woman...grabbing at something bright and colorful as it floated by."

Lucas Markson, a rare books archivist and librarian, "had charm unusual in book people...unexpected warmth...despite occasional awkwardness." The hunt for the book would take the duo from New York, to New Orleans, Munich and Paris.

The Book of the Precious Substance was written in 1620. One of three copies, each hand-written in Latin, if still in existence, needed to be found and authenticated before a sale could be completed. The rare occult text on sex magic promised unbridled power upon completion of five steps described within. Black magic would lead to ultimate sexual pleasure. Only the world's wealthiest could afford to pay the big bucks required for this acquisition. "Suddenly, it all seemed silly...a lost book...a dead bookseller, Lucas and his fake smiles and hidden awkwardness...". But, the book had a way of not being captured. Strange things would start to happen in their quest.

"The Book of the Precious Substance" is an erotic thriller written by Sara Gran who continues to amaze with an impressive writing style that propels this novel forward. I admit, however, to not being a fan of erotica. A visit to the world of antiquarian book selling, a window into Lily's life challenges and the life style of eccentrics who practice black magic, make for a fun, unique read with a totally, unexpected ending!

Thank you Dreamland books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes you read one of your favorites of the year in January. As with author Sara Gran’s delightfully unhinged predecessor Come Closer, I devoured this new novel in one sitting. Set against the backdrop of the rare book world, its protagonist is a dealer searching for a 17th-century erotic grimoire (HELL yes) that’s rumored to be one of the most powerful occult books ever written. As she follows mysterious leads from LA to Paris, she becomes entangled in the tome’s spell—it’s a thrilling, sexy, grimy, haunting, achingly human story that I know I’ll remember almost every beat of come December, and beyond.

I’ve been looking forward to this title since I heard about it last year. This book points out, more than once, that book people like nothing more than books about other books. It’s so true! We do love books about books. Me? Well, there’s nothing I quite love more than books about books that deal in the occult, mysticism, witchcraft, magic, etc. That way I get to combine my love for books about books with my love of books about the occult. Talk about killing two birds with one stone, right?

This book intrigued me because I knew it was going to be a book that dripped with both eroticism and horror, two things I love combined together in literature. Whether it be Clive Barker, Anne Rice, Lee Mandelo (who wrote 2021’s fabulous southern gothic horror novel with queer themes, “Summer Sons”), or the plethora of independently-published authors who work in the erotica genre and blend all levels of dark and depraved with all levels of romance every day, I love it all and endeavor to read as much of it as I can, because humans and sexuality intrigues me. It always has. Sex, horror, and all the myriad ways we can combine those two things in writing is simply one of the most fascinating aspects to me about literature. It always has and likely always will be.

This novel was both exactly what I thought it would be in some aspects and not anything what I thought it would be in others. I didn’t expect the first-person POV, memoir-esque storytelling aspect of it. This narrative device doesn’t work in a lot of novels it’s used in; here, though, it works wonderfully, because you can tell this is a story a storyteller needs to tell. It can’t simply be narrated by an omniscient narrator. The tale is personal, so it needs to be told personally. Gran made the right choice in deciding to let our protagonist, Lily Albrecht, narrate the story as if she were dictating a memoir of the steps that led to her search for the titular book. I did expect the ending and moral of the story, if only because a lot of stories that are about power and a search for MacGuffins end with the same moral. Luckily, that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story because it was just so enjoyable and compelling to read!

This would’ve been a five star read if I hadn’t felt as if, several times, like this book could’ve just been a little more this, a little more that, or just a little more everything. Gran writes beautiful prose, there’s no doubt, but I felt as if sometimes there needed to be a greater punishment for a reward, or some stakes needed to be higher, or some risks needed to be greater. There was always just a feeling of needing just a little bit more of something. But the book itself is so lovely and such an intriguing, page-turning read with compelling characters and an interesting plot that I have no doubt if you give it a chance you’ll fall into this book and love it too.

This book is fantastic and super sexy! I love Gran's prose and will be recommending this to lots of friends.

Did anyone ever watch The Ninth Gate with Johnny Deep? I did. This book is a bit gender bent sexy/thriller realistic version of that. I enjoyed it. It is a tad just a tad slow 20% in it picks up. 4/5 stars.

I love books about books so I went in line for obvious reasons. I mean that title is so intriguing even if you haven't read the blurb. So I had no idea what I would be getting into when I started this book but am I glad I requested this one.

Lily Albrecht, seemed all set for success and happiness; she wrote an acclaimed novel at a young age and marrying her soulmate would have been the perfect way to live the rest of her life. However, fate had a different plan for her. Circumstances reduced her to the struggle of supporting herself by dealing with rare books and the lonely burden of being a caretaker to her husband, Abel, now a husk of a man, ravaged by a mental disease, who can give her neither physical, emotional, or intellectual stimulation.

At an Antiquarian Book Fair she's offered the opportunity to track down a copy of a mysterious black-magic book and is offered a lot of money for it Lily jumps at the opportunity. Money after all would solve a lot of her problems and save her from an almost hand to mouth existence.

And therein begins a roller coaster of a journey to seek this book. Lucas Markson, a rare books archivist and librarian joins her in this globe-trotting search when ends up being a sexual awakening journey involving meeting multiple people who have designated sex-rooms in their homes all in the search for a book that apparently is stiffly coated with layers of a few centuries' worth of human sexual fluids.

This is an erotic thriller which is well paced and keeps you entertained right until the end.

This is not what I was expecting from this book. I don't read erotica but this book was great. I loved it and definitely recommend it.

Thanks to the Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.